SEOUL - Online shopping sales in South Korea surged 7.7 percent on-year in May, reaching an all-time high for the month, driven by numerous shopping events and family celebrations, the statistics agency reported on Monday. The transactions for online shopping totaled 20.87 trillion won ($15.14 billion), showing a significant increase from the previous year, according to data from Statistics Korea. This marks the highest recorded figure for the month of May.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the growth in online shopping was primarily fueled by a 16.6 percent increase in food and beverage sales, which reached 2.89 trillion won. The rise is attributed to the celebration of family-oriented holidays such as Children’s Day on May 5 and Parents’ Day on May 8. Additionally, the government-supported promotional campaigns aimed at boosting domestic demand also played a crucial role. Travel and transportation services saw an 11.7 percent increase in sales, totaling 2.37 trillion won for the month. However, the fashion sector faced a downturn, with sales of bags, clothing, and shoes falling by 10.2 percent, 4.7 percent, and 3.2 percent, respectively. This decline was linked to decreased usage of major online shopping platforms like AliExpress and Temu due to concerns over product safety.
Purchases made via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets also rose by 7.8 percent, reaching a new high of 15.51 trillion won. Mobile shopping now accounts for 74.4 percent of total online sales, underscoring the growing trend towards mobile-based e-commerce.